Iloka, who joined the team as a fifth-round pick in 2012, served as the starter for five seasons before Sunday’s sudden release:

A stunner: The #Bengals are releasing starting safety George Iloka, per @MikeGarafolo and me. He’s started every game he’s played in since 2013. Purely a financial decision, but a 28-year-old safety hitting the market at this point is good news for interested teams.

Iloka lost some snaps to second-round safety Jessie Bates in Saturday’s preseason win against the Dallas Cowboys, though it was viewed as a hint at a rotational role for a first-year player, not a way to free up salary cap space by moving on from a veteran leader.

“The biggest thing for him is handling the different ins and outs of the game — the situation, the down and distance, field position and all those things,” Lewis said. “We have been pushing him in (the game) early, and you want to see him take command when he has to take command. He could end up being the guy back there real quick. You have to keep urging Jessie to move forward.”

The move frees Iloka to find a new home well before the season, and puts the Bengals closer to starting Bates next to Shawn Williams.